PANAMA CITY — As part of his plea deal in the firebombing of a Muslim doctor’s home last year, Daniel Blankenship, 22, was supposed to testify against co-defendant Patrick Pippen. But Pippen, 22, was acquitted in the case last week without Blankenship taking the stand.
Prosecutor Bob Sombathy explained that Blankenship was essentially useless as a witness.
Blankenship was heavily intoxicated during the firebombing incident involving himself, Pippen, and 24-year-old Anthony Wait. In the incident, a device similar to a Molotov cocktail was hurled at Dr. Aziz Ahmad’s home.
“(Blankenship) was obligated to testify if we called him, but we were never going to call him,” Sombathy said. “He apparently was just stone-faced drunk and there was just nothing that he had to say that we could use.”
Blankenship also passed out at some point the night of the firebombing, according to Sombathy.
“He couldn’t provide anything helpful to say to us,” Sombathy said.
Sombathy would not comment on Pippen’s acquittal, other than to say, "We put up the best case we could.”
Pippen was found not guilty of principal in the first degree to arson of a dwelling and possession or manufacture of a fire bomb.
Blankenship pleaded no contest in February to accessory after the fact to arson and was placed on probation. The plea deal was offered because although Blankenship was drunk during the incident at Ahmad’s home, prosecutors believed he wasn’t completely unaware of what was happening.
Pippen had told police he put gasoline in a Mason jar and used a rag as a fuse, but that Wait threw the firebomb. Both men told police that Blankenship was just along for the ride.
Initially, some people believed the doctor was targeted due to his religion. However, Police affidavits indicate Wait targeted Ahmad as retaliation because hs grandmother died in Ahmad’s care. Wait’s trial is set to begin in October.
Ahmad has declined to comment on the case until each suspect’s trial is completed.